Saturday, January 30, 2021

Butt Wait - We’re Allowed To Have Fashion Again!?!

Cat-Nail-FileWhat better day to return to my roots as a reflector extraordinaire and reporter of political fashionistas than Caterday?

 

It’s been 10 days and some 40+ Executive Orders since the swearing in of the most dubiously elected president in American history. So I thought I’d do a fashion review of the event.

After a 4 year hiatus of political fashion coverage due to TDS, the pent up demand for cool Washington clothes coverage was yuge. The fashion press obliged, in fact they came unhinged in their unctuous coverage of the ladies of the inaugural. They began with their favorite old work horse, Lady M. I must say I quite liked her ensemble, aside from the length of well, everything.

Screenshot_2021-01-30 Michelle Obama Attends Joe Biden's Inauguration in a Powerful Plum Pants Look by Black Designer

I’d like to think that the color and fabric choices indicated she had learned a thing or two from me butt her stylist is taking all the credit:

Former first lady Michelle Obama is still earning praise for her headline-making inauguration look and now her stylist has given a behind-the-scenes account of her outfit.

Meredith Koop, who worked with Obama during her eight years in the White House, took to Instagram to share details of the former first lady's monochrome pants, coat and top designed by Sergio Hudson, a 36-year-old Black designer from South Carolina…

The magenta shade of Obama's suit was seen by some as a nod to bipartisanship but(t) Koop said that was not the case. "You can call it berry, wine, plum or burgundy. I’m calling it wineberry plum for the moment. What it wasn’t was bi-partisan purple," she wrote. "That’s a cute story, but(t) it wasn’t the intention.

Here’s something else that was cute: while sporting her lovely magenta ensemble, Lady M goes into her best Clydesdale impersonation. She never disappoints!

michelle-obama-inauguration-hair clydesdale shotPicture the Buttweiser Clydesdales and try to not LOL

The Harper’s Bazarr coverage was likewise properly overwrought:

A proper show: A symbolic, patriotic parade of well-tailored coats, eggplant hues (a color to symbolizes [sic] unity), monochromatic ensembles, and, most affectingly, the reemergence of the kind of thoughtful styling choices that lift up and celebrate emerging American design talent.

That’s the important part: symbolism! And diversity! In fashion! I mean, who ever heard of queer, black fashionistas before?

Seeing the VP in Christopher John Rogers, a young, Black, queer designer from Louisiana, gave those who are from marginalized pockets within the fashion industry an “I see you” nod just when we needed it most. Wearing a tailored coat and matching dress in a bold shade of purple, accessorizing with her signature pearls (these strands made by Puerto Rican designer Wilfredo Rosado) and heels by another Black designer, Sergio Hudson, Harris elevated these emerging designers to center stage. [ed. and that’s what’s most important for a VP to do]

Screen Capture #904

Too bad it was so ill-fitting. Some unsolicited advice from the former MOTUS: women of a certain age and boobage ought not sport this pinched waist style coat unless they have a very good tailor who gets the cut right. And did anyone else notice that, unconventionally, Kammie’s coat buTToned to the left? I have a theory butt that’s another post.

You see, at its best, fashion is a reflection of what is happening in the greater world around us. We’re living through a highly divided time, still reckoning with a social justice movement that’s calling for an end to brutality against Black and Brown citizens, demanding justice for those in the LGBTQAI community, and at the very least, looking for to a (sic) return to common decency. The clothing choices of Harris and Biden help illuminate the path the administration hopes to carve out.

You don’t say. Have you got any more virtue-signaling fashion news you’d care to pass on?

For the inaugural prayer service in the State Dining Room of the White House, Harris wore Prabal Gurung, a Nepal-born, New York–based designer; while Biden wore Brandon Maxwell, a queer, Texas-born designer.

president-joe-biden-first-lady-dr-jill-biden-vice-president-news-photo-1611764708

And let’s not forget how they fawned over Dr. Jilly’s getup. It wasn’t just a dress and coat you know, Town and Country informs us:  

In a press release, Markarian explained that the outfit was made in various shades of blue velvet, blue tweed, silk, and chiffon in order to "signify trust, confidence, and stability."

Screenshot_2021-01-30 Dr Jill Biden's Inauguration Outfit Was Almost Something Completely Different

It wasn't just the design's color that communicated a self-consciously staid, even-keeled control. The tweed set recalled the fashions of a previous political era—a simple, dependable look that's served the Queen of England for decades.

I don’t know as though I want a Queen. Wasn’t our Declaration of Independence and Constitution intended to ensure against such things? And now, nearly 250 years later we wind up with a mad King and a handful of Queens anyway.

What a hot mess.

Butt, gosh, I’m glad to see that the fashion press has got their mojo back. Follow me for more fashion insights from the media.

Friday, January 29, 2021

Gaming the Gamers

game stopGo ahead, punk, make my day.

If you don’t understand hedge funds here’s a Cliff’s Notes version:

  • A hedge fund is a pooled investment structure set up by a money manager designed to make a return on capital.
  • A hedge fund isn't a specific type of investment, but rather a vehicle for investment.
  • Big Hedge Funds use capital from accredited investors (High Net Worth Individuals, Pension Funds, Charitable Foundations, University Endowments) to execute various market transactions.
  • Often the types of transactions involve risky instruments such as short selling, leverage, derivatives (puts, calls, options, futures) intended to “hedge” the risk exposure of the fund’s capital and make money in the process.
  • A fund’s transactions often involve arbitrage (the buying and selling of the same asset in order to profit from a difference in the asset's price between markets).

If you understand this then you understand everything that’s wrong with capitalism today: we’ve removed capitalists from capitalism and replaced them with financiers – there is nothing being made aside from money; there is no product being made, no service being provided, only money changing hands. We’ve replaced the wheels of industry with the wheels of finance.

What happened last week, forcing a couple of hedge funds to liquidate was the result of a proletariat uprising. Retail traders -i.e. ‘day traders’ - generally with a portfolio between $500 to $2,500 - took down two billionaire hedge funds by buying the GameStops shares the hedge funds were shorting. Now when huge funds short a stock they not only hope it will go down, but they are instrumental in driving it down by triggering momentum buyers. What the retail traders on Reddit did was change the game by creating momentum in the opposite direction by buying up all the stock that the hedge funds dumped (that they don’t own remember, they ‘borrowed’ it to sell short) on the market.

They manipulated the market on the same stock the hedge funds were trying to manipulate only in the opposite direction, thereby bankrupting the funds as they had to buy the stocks they had already sold for $4(remember, they didn’t own them, they ‘borrowed’ them) at $400 a share. Ouch!

I posted this last night, but it still has me chuckling this morning:

Thumbnail

Of course the elitists immediately sprung into action:

donald trump jr tweet robinhood

 

  • On Wednesday, the platform Discord banned the r/wallstreetbets server, alleging it violated its hate speech policies (from here-to-forth the preferred route of cancelling everything the elitists dislike for whatever reason).
  • Trading of GameStop, AMC and other stocks targeted by retail traders was suspended on many brokerages, including Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, Charles Schwab, and TD Ameritrade.
  • Wall Street and Congress immediately called for a stop and protection from this small group of individuals trying to break and change the rules of the system so that they always win and can’t ever lose (like the big guys have been doing for decades now). Why, it’s anticapitalist, they thundered!

But oddly enough, this is how free market capitalism in suppose to work, the little guys banding together to keep the big guys in check, using the same rules of the system everybody plays by. No laws were broken, nothing was rigged.

Ironic, isn’t it, that the stock that brought down a couple of billionaire market gamers was “GameStoppers.”

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Brain Synapses and Recipes

My head hurts, so today, just some random synapses generated by random comments from yesterday’s post:

First, Deputy Dogge’s Box turtle…

Thumbnail

Reminded me of this shot I have been saving of a place called “Blue Grotto” on Malta. Why on earth it’s not called “Turtle Island” is anybody’s guess.

Blue Grotto, Malta. cannot believe it isn't turtle island

And this post from pointman-doppelganger…

From Deep Throat
To Deep State
An American Journey
Kamala Harris
ing Author

Made me reflect that somewhere Monica Lewinsky is kicking herself for having such low esteem and life’s goals.

And CoolBrew’s Orange wo-man bad meme…

Thumbnail

reminded me of a Kayleigh McEnany v. Jen Psaki meme from a few days ago that I didn’t save and can’t find, but it was basically Jen as a Raggedy Ann and Kayleigh as, well, see for yourself:

kayleighyellow barbie doll dress

And as a bonus round of short synapses based on yesterday’ discussions about various sauces - A-1, Heinz 57, Worcestershire, HP, Siracha, Pickapepper, etc., etc., – and in keeping with the ‘follow me for more recipes like this’ meme (h/t Some Rabbit) I offer up two very old sauce recipes from the kitchen of MOTUS that use one or the other of these sauces. 

First from the Great Steak Sauce Controversies: As a rule I dislike all steak sauces intensely but as with all good rules there is an exception – a sauce from a Grand Rapids restaurant that was served over London broil in the early 70’s. My sister obtained the “recipe” for me:

Holly’s Bistro London Broil Sauce

Melted butter, Heinz 57 Sauce, equal proportions: whisk Heinz 57 sauce into melted butter, drizzle generously over slices of London broil using your favorite recipe.

BestEverLondonBroil1-1
And lastly, a sauce recipe that you can use on oyster po’boys or anything else that strikes your fancey. It’s from Monahan’s Fish Market in Ann Arbor, a long time fishmonger that’s been selling pristine, pricey fish and sea critters way before Whole Foods was even a glint in your eye. They call it ‘remoulade’ but as anyone can clearly see it is definitely not, as it contains no mustard, creole or otherwise. Overlook that offense and you have a very tasty sauce that is particularly tasty served over chilled shrimp for a change of pace. I sometimes split the shrimp lengthwise, stir in enough sauce to enrobe them, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as appetizers with picks.

Monahan’s Remoulade Sauce

  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 1/2 t lemon juice
  • 1/4 t paprika
  • 1 t Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce (or to taste)
  • 1/2 t tabasco
  • 1 1/2 t Cajun seasoning
  • 1/4 t cayenne
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

If you add a bit of chopped celery and/or red bell pepper it turns into a salad that can be served as a first course in a lettuce leaf or as a sandwich filling. Would make a nice Mardi Gras menu item.

cajun-shrimp

So there you have it, two nearly 50 year old recipes for Throwback Thursday. You’re welcome.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Can We Get A Little Solidarity Here On The Green New Deal?

Can we get a little solidarity here: If you’re against pipelines due to global warming concerns than do your part and shut off the one bringing gas to your house.

pipelines meters gas

Although I suspect it’s a bit presumptuous to assume the haters even own a wrench much less know how to use it.

If the Keystone XL Pipeline owners want to get Joey’s Big Boy Order reversed however it’s really quite simple: all they have to do is put Hunter on the board of directors and make sure Pops get’s his customary 10%.

And maybe throw in a golf game in the Hamptons, to seal the deal.

A 2014 photo has emerged of Joe Biden (second from right) and his son, Hunter (far right), golfing in the Hamptons with Devon Archer (far left), a Ukrainian gas company executive. Archer served on the board of Burisma Holdings with HunterJoe and Hunter, golfing with Devon Archer (far left), a Ukrainian gas company executive, 2014

Just think of it as Joey’s Green New Deal.

Private Lending 101 – The Blake Wilson Group

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Double-Plus-Good-Duckspeak

But first, a brief review:

newspeak vocabulary

And please recall that people who can chatter proficiently in doublespeak are known as “doubleplusgood ducktalkers” because they sound literally, as Joey likes to say, more like ducks than people.

all the cool ducks

As we have all been rendered expressionless in the Age of the Coronavirus’ facemask mandate the Facecrime definition has been effectively obviated. Enter the good doctor of the State to create a new Facecrime definition, also a punishable offense: when one does not wear at least two facemasks at a time - for your own safety and that of others.

Yes, Dr. Fauci – who was famously against wearing face masks before he was for them – has now, literally, doubled down on his fandom for facemasks.

Could wearing two face masks at once during the pandemic provide more protection than just wearing one? According to White House advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, “it likely does,” he told NBC News’ TODAY on Monday.

“So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective.”

Now that Democrats are in charge we can drop the pretension that we’re using science and just rely on good old fashioned common sense. Of course in the Age of Coronavirus and Newspeak common sense doesn’t mean what you think it means, it means whatever Der State says it means and currently that is  “two (or more) masks” for everyone.

Joe Biden's unusual double mask habit | Queensland Times

Don’t worry, as long as you remember that this has nothing to do with common sense and everything to do with the form of English developed by the State to make critical thought impossible you should be able to fly below the radar.

And that is DoublePlusGood!

biden_broken foot

If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck…

lame duck seal cop3by_thumb[2]

It might just be the Double-Plus-Good-Duckspeaker-In-Chief.

Monday, January 25, 2021

Our Man In Beijing

It’s simply uncanny how ahead of its time Twilight Zone was.

image

No need to imagine anymore.

biden_court-jester

That’s ‘President’ YouTwitFace to you

The man who can’t find his way out of a brown paper bag,

biden face mask3

and still has trouble finding his way into his federally mandated cloth facemask.

And now we’re about to find out what China wants with that old YouTwitFace they just took delivery of:

Is Joe About To Surrender Taiwan To Beijing?

The answer is yes. And now you see why it was necessary for Trump to go. All you people who voted for old TwitFace because you didn’t like Trump’s mean tweets are in for a very rude awakening. If you think Russia Russia Russia is our enemy just wait till you see how China China China behaves as our friend.

China congratulates Biden on election victory - AxiosOur Man in Beijing

Now repeat after me in your best YouTweetFace voice: ‘China is our friend, China is our friend, China…’

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Learn The Code, Man

sunset on the orient express somewhere in the usa

Don’t worry, this lonely stretch of track will soon see thousands of tanker cars traveling its rails. They’ll be hauling Canadian oil down to the Gulf and empty cars back up to Alberta, burning up a lot of hateful fossil fuel in the process. 

Jason Kenney, the leader of the Canadian province of Alberta “noted that without the pipeline, oil must be transported to Gulf Coast refineries by truck or train, both of which are sources of much higher emissions.”

Funny isn’t it, the President of the party that claims to champion “the working manand the environment cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline on day one thereby screwing both, along with our ally to the North, with one stroke of his mighty pen.

“He added that Biden’s move kills thousands of union labor jobs on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border and counterintuitively makes the United States more dependent on ‘dictatorships’ for its energy needs.”

Image

Kenney noted how Biden’s move to cancel the pipeline could force refineries in Southern U.S. states to rely on oil from the Maduro regime in Venezuela. “I don’t see how that’s in the interests of the United States,” Kenney said.

keystone pipeline union members with their biden-harris signsC’mon man! Learn to code

Might I suggest they first learn to read and use those skills to carefully go through the platform of the guy they send money to. Specifically look for sections titled “Green New Deal.”

coal fired electric carsThey don’t call it  “Liberal Logic” for naught

Unless, that is, you want to learn to code.

File the above story under “when they tell you who they are, believe them,” cross referenced with “don’t be fooled again” and “too late now buddy.”